African Human Rights court says it can hear case brought by DRC against Rwanda

The Tanzania-based African Court of Human Rights says it is competent to hear a case brought by the Democratic Republic of the Congo against Rwanda.  

The ruling opens the door to a full hearing into Kinsha’s claims of human rights abuses linked to the long-running conflict in eastern Congo.  

Kigali claimed that national and regional processes hadn’t been fully exhausted, making the referral to the court of human rights premature. But the court’s eleven judges unanimously rejected the argument and instead invited Rwanda to submit its responses on the merits within 90 days.  

The ruling comes as the DRC and Rwanda prepare to sign a US-brokered peace treaty in Washington on Friday. The agreement involves provisions on respect for territorial integrity and the disarmament of non-state armed groups. 

The deal would also help the US government and American companies gain access to critical minerals in the region. Lauded by President Trump last week as “a Great Day for Africa and...for the World,” the crucial deal comes as part of other ongoing peace talks to end the conflict, including ones mediated by the African Union and Qatar.

Humanitarian crisis

Congo has been ripped apart by conflict with more than 100 armed groups. Decades of fighting escalated in January, when the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels advanced and seized the strategic city of Goma in North Kivu province, followed by Bukavu in February.

M23 is one of about 100 armed groups that have been vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo near the border with Rwanda.

With more than 7 million people displaced in Congo, the United Nations has called it “one of the most serious humanitarian crises on Earth.”